Myth: Individuals who have been convicted of a crime are “banned” from public housing. Fact: Public Housing Authorities have great discretion in determining their admissions and occupancy policies for ex-offenders.

Yesterday, I had the privilege of presiding over the fourth meeting of the Federal Interagency Reentry Council, a government-wide body that has worked – since I convened its first meeting in 2011 – to make communities both safer and stronger by reducing recidivism and [...]

Reentry Council Snapshots: Employment

Reentry MythBusters are fact sheets designed to clarify existing federal policies that affect formerly incarcerated individuals and their families in areas such as public housing, employment, parental rights, Medicaid suspension/termination, voting rights and more.

The Snapshots cover a broad range of reentry topics. Each Snapshot briefly describes the issue, summarizes Reentry Council accomplishments to date, lays out the Council’s priorities moving forward, and points to key resources and links.

“Reentry provides a major opportunity to reduce recidivism, save taxpayer dollars, and make our communities safer.”

assist those who return from prison and jail in becoming productive citizens, and

save taxpayer dollars by lowering the direct and collateral costs of incarceration.

The Reentry Council, established by Attorney General Holder in January 2011, represents a significant executive branch commitment to coordinating reentry efforts and advancing effective reentry policies. It is premised on the recognition that many federal agencies have a major stake in prisoner reentry. The reentry population is one we are already working with -- not only in our prisons, jails, and juvenile facilities, but in our emergency rooms, homeless shelters, unemployment lines, child support offices, veterans’ hospitals, and elsewhere. When we extend out to the children and families of returning prisoners, the intersection is even greater.

A chief focus of the Reentry Council is to remove federal barriers to successful reentry, so that motivated individuals - who have served their time and paid their debts - are able to compete for a job, attain stable housing, support their children and their families, and contribute to their communities. Reentry Council agencies are taking concrete steps towards these ends, to not only reduce recidivism and high correctional costs but also to improve public health, child welfare, employment, education, housing and other key reintegration outcomes.

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